What Are The Most Frequented asked
questions?
Q: Can anyone electroplate and how much special knowledge do you need?
A: Following our simple instructions, anyone can. We have had customers from age 7 to 92.
No special knowledge is needed.
Q: Does the equipment take up a lot of room and is it heavy to transport?
A: The Professional model machine weighs 5 1/4 lb. and is 9 1/4"x 8" x 4
1/2".
Q: What type of items can be plated with Dalmar equipment?
A: With Dalmar's experience and equipment you can do every type of plating and
electroforming.
With our plating machines you can not only run a plating tank, but do brush, and pen
plating. This
means that you can plate jewelry, automotive items, guns, faucets and anything that
is made of
metal and even items that are not made of metal.
Q: What is the difference between plating and electroforming?
A: Plating is the electrical disposition of one metal upon another metal, or metal over
metal. It is
generally a very thin layer and it becomes part of the work piece. In electroforming
we can grow
metal over anything, even non-metallic, like leaves, sea shells, flowers, bugs, wax,
plastic or
anything that will hold still. We can grow it as thick as we like, and we can even
remove it from
the piece that we formed it on.
Q: The big question, how much does it cost to plate a piece of jewelry?
A: The average piece of jewelry will cost about
45 cents and take about 3 minutes.
Q: What should I charge to plate a piece of jewelry?
A: Most dealers charge from $5.00 to $7.00 for a regular size pendant or earrings. If the
piece
is larger, charge more. Some dealers charge as much as $12.00. On rings, which take
more of
a beating, and therefore you will want to put the gold on thicker charge $12.00 or
more. Like
anything at the market, see what traffic will bear.
Q: What will it cost to get started?
A: The cost of our set for plating gold on
jewelry, coins, etc. is just $711.00. That price is
complete, and it is not necessary to buy anything else if you only want to gold
plate.
Q: Can I really make back the cost of my investment?
A: The set comes complete with a quart of gold. A quart should plate about 300 to 500
pieces
of jewelry when plating for two minutes on each piece. That is the recommended
time. At the
minimum of $5.00 for each job, you should make $1500.00 with the set without
purchasing any
other chemicals or supplies. That figure is the minimum you should charge. You
should charge more
on a lot of plating jobs due to their size or condition.
Q: How long does it take to plate the emblems on an average car?
A: The average car has 4 emblems and with a little experience you should be able to
plate the emblems
on a car in about one hour. The cost of materials is around $30.00 to $35.00 and
the minimum you charge
when doing them on a wholesale level is $125.00. That is a profit of $90.00 an
hour.
Q: Do you need to set up a garage or store front to plate the trim on cars?
A: No! A lot of the businesses are operated as mobile. In other words the plater goes to
the auto
dealer or customers home to plate the car.
Q: Where can I find the customers for my new business?
A: Some people operate out of their home. They pass out business cards saying to the
effect that
they will do any type of plating. One day they will plate cars for the local auto
dealers, the next
day they will plate jewelry for some of the neighborhood jewelers that don't have
their own equipment.
Gold plated faucets and bathroom fixtures are a very hot item today. Make a deal with
contractors
who build homes to plate the fixtures in their model homes. And later for customers
that they sell
the homes to.
Q: How long has Dalmar been in the plating business?
A: Dalmar has been in business for 39 years. Since 1971. Our president is also a
professional goldsmith and gemstone cutter and has written several books for
the jewelry trade.
Q: Why do other companies charge so much for their equipment in comparison to your
machines
and chemicals?
A: Dalmar manufactures all their own equipment and chemicals. When you buy from Dalmar you
are buying direct. Most of the other companies buy their equipment from someone else
or have
the machines and chemicals made for them. This brings one or more companies into the
picture
with each adding a profit. Some of them buy from us and mark up the price before they
resell. Also
some companies will add a lot of items to a kit that are not needed, just so
they can raise the
price.
Q: If I have a problem can I call for help?
A: The instructions that come with the set are quite complete, even giving you ideas on
what
to plate and how to make money. Both a book and DVD is included in the kits. But if you cannot find
the answers in the book or on our "Instruction and Help" site at
www.dalmar.net call me and I
will help
you personally.
Q: Does Dalmar manufacture tank plating
chrome kits?
A: No we only make chrome plating available
in brush plating. The reason is that in a lot of states today Chrome plating in
a tank is illegal due to the EPA restrictions. The reason is because of the
waste water that is generated and they assume no one will pay to have it hauled
away properly. Also tank chrome plating releases acid fumes into the air.
However brush plating with the Dalmar chrome is considered environmentally
friendly. I don't know of any area that it can not be used in. It eliminates the
waste water and the acid in the air problems.
Q: If I need to order more chemicals, can I purchase them direct from Dalmar?
A: Yes, we can ship them to you directly. And we will accept Visa, Master Card,
and Discover.
Q: Where can I get answers to other questions?
A:
We have
customer support available during business hours at 239-275-6540
Telephone: (239) 275-6540 Fax:
(239) 275-1731
When you call Dalmar
Mfg Co. You are in for a surprise, no computer to talk to, no menus to go
through, but a real human being answering the phone, if you call between 9:00am
& 3:00pm. The only exception to this
is if all of our roll-over lines are busy.
Elizabeth
Visa, Master Card,
Discover Card, Paypal, Certified Checks and Money Orders are accepted. Company
checks and personal checks will have a minimum 10 day hold. We are no longer
accepting American Express.
We carry chemicals & supplies for machines made by the
following companies: Gold Effects, Gold Touch, Gold Plating Specialists,
Caswell, Samson, Gold Coast Plating and most any other machines even if that
company is no longer in business.
Copyright 1996 Dale R Miller
"Believe"
